LET FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE

Every once in a while I allow myself to gain a little weight so that I don’t develop a completely restrictive lifestyle. This doesn’t mean that I ever go back to eating foods that are bad for my health, but I allow myself to indulge in simple pleasures. I have an amazing husband and group of girlfriends that never make me feel like anything has changed with my body and I give them the same amount of love and support back. We are extremely body positive and loving, so we always tell each other that the other looks amazing regardless, and on the other hand, lift each other up to help reach personal goals.

Recently I allowed myself to gain 10 pounds. Yes this is not earth shattering, and my high weight is most people’s lowest weight. Honestly, it’s all about how I feel as an individual, not some one else’s opinion or standard I have to live up to. In the end it’s all about how comfortable you are and when you feel your healthiest. You could be at your lowest weight, but not feel healthy or vital. This is why when I set my mind on losing the weight I go all in and focus on every variant, because weight loss is not just about what to eat or not to.

My primary concern when focusing on reaching my weight goals are my adrenal glands. You have heard me talk about this again and again, and when it comes to stress, I mean business. I like to tell my patients that there are houses in the body. Each house represents a system. The endocrine system is a house of a very close family. Each room in the endocrine house is connected and if one is a mess, they are all going to be a mess. Its the process of influence. It seems trivial, but behavior inside the body and outside the body are very connected. So if your adrenals are exhausted you better believe that your metabolism is going to pay for it. So the more you stress, the harder it will be to lose weight. Even stressing about losing weight will be enough to keep you from your goals.

Not having trust that your body will get there is disruptive in so many ways. The brain is responsible for every major process in the human body, so emotion can be a very powerful thing. When I am trying to focus on my goals, I do just that. I focus on the hard work and let nothing stop me. I don’t succumb to cravings, I don’t waver based on others opinions. I don’t let anyone or anything convince me that I should stop for just a moment. I never let people guilt me into making decisions that derail my progress, because let’s be honest, that person is doing it for a reason. They need an excuse to do it.

Life is about choice and removing stress is easy. Focus on the things you chose not to stress about. Let the stressful things roll off your back, no excuses.

Next, I set a plan of action. Like, I will walk 5 miles a day, or I will do the eliptical for 45 min a day. Then I set hydration goals and sleep goals. I map out my meals and what time I will eat them. I set my life around this clock, because if I don’t, life will get in my way.

Movement is extremely important for the process. It doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself doing crossfit or run marathons, it just means you have to stay consistent. The body is a machine, and making your whole weight loss process about routine and clock work is going to guarantee result. Going to spin class twice will do nothing for you, the movement needs to be at least five times per week. NO exceptions.

Sleep and hydration are as equally important to the equation as the food is. Sleep is how the body repairs itself from the daily stress of life and hydration is how we detoxify any negative hormones or chemicals that have trapped in our fat tissue over time.

So how did I lose 5 pounds in one week?!

I slept at least 8 hours every night. When I woke up I went on a two hour walk that was up to 6 miles, taking my time, meditating on life and enjoying nature. I drank at least 96oz of water a day. I ate three large meals with less than 10 carbs each, most of them zero.

I relaxed when I needed to and was kind to myself during the whole process. I cut out alcohol said no to anyone who offered it, without feeling guilty or left out. I made sure to eat plenty of ferments so my digestion would stay on track. If your digestion isn’t working daily, the weight has nowhere to go.

I wore comfortable clothes to make myself feel good and stayed off the scale the entire week. Staying off the scale is a big deal, obsession breeds negativity, if you see a number you don’t like it will ruin your entire day. I didn’t deprive myself, if I wanted a treat, I made the keto version and felt satisfied.

I kept positive with everything I did and made sure to be kind to those around me. Having positive influences and people surrounding you makes it easier and worth it. Over the course of the week my body started to change, my clothes began to fit again and it came off fairly quick. No I don’t have a super freak metabolism, I worked hard for it.

This same formula can work for anyone, its all about how hard you want to work, and how quickly you want to get there. The equation is easy, but being emotionally prepared for this type of dedication can take people years. It’s up to you.